Portégé Laptops

[#1]

Hi,

I have a Portege M200 Tablet PC which I do not want to replace because I cannot source a replacement having  a 1400x1050 pixel display and I have run into the need to boot it from a CD or DVD drive.  The recovery media which it came with cannot work over a PXE boot (yes, I've tried, and yes, it definitely cannot be done).

I have a PA3315U-2PRP Tablet Multidock 2 but I don't have an optical drive which will fit it,  can anyone tell me the part number of any optical drives (DVD preferred) which are still readily available and which will both fit the Multidock2 and permit my M200 to boot from it ?  Toshiba or 3rd party drives would both be fine so long as I can boot from them.

Many thanks,

Boo

[#2]

Here are two good sources for Toshiba parts.   I don't have a specific part number for you though.

   National Parts Depot

   Spare Parts Warehouse

[#3]

See this Toshiba document for compatible drives.

   Bootable Recovery CDs -- supported external CD and DVD drives

[#4]

Thanks but can you tell me which CD / DVD drives are compatible with the Multidock 2 ?  The documents just states that the Multidock will allow me to boot from the media but my Multidock does not have a drive fitted so without the info as to which drives will work with it I am i the same position.

Thanks,

Boo

[#5]

I don't know any more than what it says, Boo. Probably others here do.

[#6]

Thanks Jerry, 

I would certainly be grateful if anyone could post a list of CD / DVD Drives which will work with the Multidock / 2 and allow me to reinitialise my hard drive.  My M200 is useless at the moment and I've been quoted nearly £100 by a Toshiba repairer to reinitialise it.

Thanks again,

Boo

[#7]

No harm in calling ToshibaDirect: 800-316-0920. The worst they can do is hang up.

[#8]

I've had similar problems in the past but I found a workaround is the fastest: Since you have the media, find someone with an older notebook with a cd drive and install your hdd in it, (the ide hdd compartment) then boot with your media, install os up to the point where it says reboot. Stop everything, I pull the plug, remove the battery then the hdd and then reinstall it in the M200 and let it initialize. At that point you can update everything from Toshiba's support page and I recommend the first thing I would do is update your bios via windows install to v.1.80. After doing that your M200 will recognize just about anything and everything. 

[#9]

---

find someone with an older notebook with a cd drive and install your hdd in it,

install os up to the point where it says reboot.

---

Good idea!

It probably won't work in many cases, since the HAL (hardware abstraction layer) is determined early in the install process. But if you pick a machine with the same HAL, it ought to work.

In case anybody's interested, you can ascertain the HAL of a computer this way. In Device Manager, expand the Computer branch and check the driver details.
-ACPI multiprocessor computer = Halmacpi.dll
-ACPI uniprocessor computer = Halaacpi.dll
-Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) computer = Halacpi.dll
-MPS multiprocessor computer = Halmps.dll
-MPS uniprocessor computer Halapic.dll standard computer = Hal.dll
-Compaq SystemPro multiprocessor or 100% compatible = Halsp.dll

[#10]

I have a PA3315U-1PRP and use a Panasonic UJ-810B thats boots perfectly. They also are called Matsu**bleep**a. You can snag a used one for about $60.00 or a new one for around $160.00.  Hope this helps.